Imaginary Friends May Make Kids Smarter

If you ever worried about your child having imaginary friends, it may be time to start bragging.

According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, imaginary friends tend to enhance the development of children’s inner dialogue. This helps them solve problems and complete more complex tasks right now, and later when they are adults.

It’s common for children under the age of seven to talk to themselves while they’re playing. When this behaviour stops their outer dialogue turns into internal, verbalized thoughts. Since children with imaginary friends tend to talk to themselves more, this furthers the development of their inner dialogue and hence, their ability to solve complex tasks. Cool, huh?

According to the study, while 46 per cent of children reported having an imaginary friend only half of the moms (only mothers were included in the research) knew about their child’s make-believe companions. So, take heed – you can still brag knowing you’re likely raising one heck of a problem solver.